Lost
by Ami Uchiha
Summary: <html><head></head>Gaara is left in the desert with no food or water, left to die. Instead, he is captured by slavers. Can he survive his new master or will he die in the process?</html>
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**(Gaara's POV) **

I felt Shukaku lapse into fitful sleep and fell to my knees as the last of my strength left me. I had been walking for more hours than I could count and now my body had simply given out. The silence seemed to echo in my head; I simply couldn't think around the haze of heat and pain that clouded my mind. I was lost in the desert with no food or water, and I was only five years old. There was only a 1% chance of survival, as my father had gleefully told me at the beginning of this living hell. Slowly, painfully, I drifted away from the living world and the world…went…dark.

Water trickled slowly over my lips and, reflexively, my mouth opened to receive it. With the return of consciousness came the return of pain and a half-strangled whimper pushed its way into the open air. Sand scraped against my skin, which was obscenely sensitive at the best of times. Now, with my skin dry and damaged by the sun, I felt as though every nerve in my body was on fire, adding its individual keening voice the chorus of pain. Shame washed through me, closely followed by fear; showing my fear or pain would give Father another excuse to beat me. Then my mind drifted to full awareness and Shukaku woke with a vengeance. Someone was touching me. I jerked away from the unfamiliar touch and bolted to what felt like the far wall of a tent. A young woman sat back on her heels and let her hand fall to her side as I examined her. Her hair was chin-length and inky black. Her eyes were almost the same color and, while I watched her, that hand lifted, extended, a silent request for me to come closer. I tried to stand and pain ran through me, lightning quick and intense enough to drive me back to my knees again. She didn't try to touch me again; she only watched me, her eyes cool and empty of any emotion.

"I have water, and you need healing." I started in surprise; she was talking to me? Why? I shifted again, wrapping my arms around my own torso, listening to the low, soothing murmurs of Shukaku's voice in the back of my head. The woman reached for me again, and this time I shuffled slowly closer. After all, she'd said something about healing. Why would someone spend the energy to heal me if they were just going to hurt me again? It wouldn't make sense. Shukaku's voice interrupted my train of thought and I tensed in response to his words. He was right; adults didn't always make sense. The woman didn't give me the chance to back away again, but lunged forward to catch my arm. Pain ripped through me, starting where she was touching me, and it was pure willpower that kept me from drifting back to the void. But once she had me, she wouldn't let go. And then energy moved, pulsing out in slow, soothing waves and I could literally feel my skin healing until, only few minutes later, her grip on my arm wasn't painful. Silently she released me and I scrambled back again, every muscle tensed. I couldn't trust anyone. _Except me, _Shukaku whispered into my mind, and I almost let myself nod. Shukaku was my only ally.

The woman waited silently for me to relax and when I didn't, she held out a canteen. I lunged for it and she let me have it. It took me almost ten minutes to finish it, mostly because Shukaku kept reminding me to drink slowly. Finally, I finished the water and the woman took her canteen back and smiled, standing in slow motion.

"My name is Shizune. I'm here to care for you." My eyes narrowed suspiciously and she sighed heavily. "What's your name?" I looked at her in confusion for one long moment, and then answered her with one word.

"Gaara."

Shizune dropped silently to her knees when she entered the tent, keeping her head down and staring at the sand beneath her feet. Sand and cloth moved and a pair of sandaled feet came into her line of sight.

"How is he?"

Shizune suppressed a shiver at the sound of that voice, so soft and deep and replied to the question instead of saying the words that he would kill her for. _I hate you…_ "He's well enough, my Lord. He startles like a wild animal, but I healed him easily."

"Does he trust you?"

"No, my Lord, but perhaps given time…"

A hand slid into her hair and before she could pull away, he dragged her almost to her feet by her hair alone. "Convince him to trust you," he whispered roughly into her ear "Or you won't survive the week. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good girl. Fugaku Uchiha has been looking for a pretty little redhead like him, and I want him to be some semblance of tame when he's handed over."

Shizune had to fight to keep herself from flinching at the name, but she managed it. "Yes, my Lord."

The hand in her hair released and she fell, barely managing to catch herself on her bare hands and wincing when sand sliced into her palm, scraping a hand that was already fortified with a thick layer of scar tissue open again. She would have to wrap bandaging around her hands again.

"You're dismissed, Shizune."

"Yes, my Lord." She got to her feet and walked out of the small tent, all the while wishing that she could tell her 'Lord' just what she thought of him. But he would kill her for the insult, if nothing else. _Goddess above, but I hate you, 'my Lord'…_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A tall, powerfully built man paced around in the small tent like a wild animal, his brilliantly blue eyes narrowed in fury. His hands were clenched into fists at his side. _The little maggot thinks he can choose his master, _he thought to himself. How was he going to fix this?

Gaara smiled shyly up at Shizune. He was starting to like her, slowly but surely. He glanced up at the sound of slow, delibrate footsteps and then let out a mental shriek as a huge hand lifed him, slamming his young body against the face of a nearby cliff. Shukaku's sand wrapped protectively over his skin, but he couldn't jutsu himself away, not when the man held him by the throat. "You're Gaara, aren't you?" Gaara tried to nod, but the enormous hand wrapped around his slim throat made it impossible. "What is your problem? Do you not understand? I could kill you here and does that not scare you?" The large man shook him roughly and Gaara clawed at his hand with Shukaku's impromtu sand-claws. The man yelped and tossed him into the ground in digust...but there was no longer a hand around his throat. Sand moved to catch him and Shukaku crooned nonsense in the back of his head. "Do you want an answer?" The large man jolted in shock at the sound of his voice, soft, deep and raspy. That voice sounded more adult than his own...and spoke of more abuse than he could comprehend. Slowly, the man nodded his head. "Death doesn't scare me."The man blinked. The voice and words made sense, but coupled with the face...it sounded...wrong. Children shouldn't think like that.

**Two weeks later**

Fugaku Uchiha walked slowly through the long lines of slaves. So far not even one had caught his attention. Then he saw the boy. His hair was a shaggy, spiky shock of red and the eyes that glared at him with lovely defience were sea-foam green. All the others were plain, but this one was...glorious. Beautiful. A true diamond in the rough. This was worth seeing. "How much for the red-head?" Danzo looked up greedily and Fugaku groaned internally. "He's a feisty one, my Lord...I might have to charge you extra for the pleasure of breaking him. "Fine," Fugaku snapped in annoyance, "Just tell me the price." " 12,000." Fugaku glared and then tossed him a bag of gold. "There. Are you satisfied?" "Yes, of course...," the man purred as he unchained the boy. The moment he wasn't bound, he turned, raising one hand. Sand swelled around the man and, as the boy slowly closed his hand, wrapped itself around Danzo in a suffocating cloud. The boy's fist tightened and Danzo screamed as a loud splintering sound broke the silence. The boy's fist tightened even further and the scent of blood filled the air as the outer layer of sand turned red. Fugaku stared in blank surprise. What was this child? He had never seen a child with such talent...even Itachi hadn't started killing at six. This was...remarkable. The child sent him a glare, but before that glare went lethal Fugaku slid through the space between them, using evey last bit of the speed gifted to him by his clan and stared into the boy's eyes. Sharringan swirled to life and slowly, almosy reluctantly, the boy collapsed into the silent sleep of the entranced.


End file.
